Blood
by Riku Heartless
Summary: A story based on Twilight. A teenage girl meets the handsome members of a rock band named Blood. A story of romance and darkness, and mainly, vampires.
1. Chapter 1

It was June 13th, nothing special. The sky was a bit dreary with gray clouds but not dark enough to rain although I wished with all my heart that it would. Why? Because June 13th happened to be my birthday and my good old friend Mariah wanted to take me to a concert. I don't mind music, actually I love it. The sound, the beat, the feeling, I enjoyed it all but I don't think I could ever enjoy it at a concert. The whole idea of a concert gave me the shudders. I could already feel the pain of the bruises forming on my body from the pushing and shoving even if Mariah promised we wouldn't go in the mosh pit. I doubted she would keep that promise, her memory always proved to be a little faulty.

Then to top it all off, it was a band I had never even heard of. Even if Mariah said they were great, that didn't mean they were. We did have different tastes when it came to who was good and who wasn't. Still, Mariah is one heck of a pleader and before I knew it I was spending my birthday evening going to a concert.

The area was just as I knew it would be, packed. There were people everywhere from every single clique I could imagine. I didn't know a band could bring such an array of people. The majority of them were wearing band merchandise, including Mariah. I was one of the few that weren't. I had on a simple v-neck, blue shirt and a light black jacket since the concert would be outside. I didn't think I was anything special to look at, I was pretty plain. My hair was a mix of black and brown, sometimes more black than brown or vice versa, all depending on the weather. I had it tied up in a loose pony tail with a black ribbon. My dark hair really makes my pale complexion stick out and my blue eyes don't do much to help. At times, I was jokingly called a vampire due to how pale I was.

Mariah was a bit shorter than my 5' 3" self and her hair is a dirty blonde. I think she's dyed it more than once because I could remember it being a brighter blonde at one time. Her gray eyes are always bright, probably because she's practically always excited about something. Neither of us was chunky but I believed she was skinner than me even if she believed otherwise.

As usual, Mariah was bouncing off the walls but this time it was noticeably more than usual. "This so awesome Elle! Can you believe we're gonna see Blood in concert?" Her voice was full of enthusiasm, my ears were aching. I wanted to go home already. I gave her a fake smile, trying to sound excited, "I know. Thanks for taking me." She grinned back and placed her arm on my shoulder, hugging me a bit. "You're welcome Elle, anything for you. It's your birthday after all." She was the only one that called me Elle, regardless of how much I begged her not to. My name was Elena, not Elle.

She released me and bounded over for one of the small merchandise shops, that money she had must have been burning a hole in her pocket. My own money remained untouched; I didn't plan on buying a simple thing for a band I hardly knew a thing about. Mariah explained all she knew about Blood but the thing is she talks at about a mile a minute. I could hardly grasp what the conversation was about; nonetheless listen to all the things about the band.

It felt like forever but it was only in fact a few minutes before Mariah was back. This was going to be a long night and my head was pounding as it was. "C'mon Elle, let's get to the stage. The show is gonna start!!" She yelled quite loudly, not helping my ears or my head. I nodded, trying to smile. Apparently she took it as one and dragged me towards the open area near the stage. My stomach churned, I knew exactly where she was taking me. We were headed to the closest area near the stage, the area where a mosh pit usually formed. My make believe bruises pained me.

I glanced at my watch as the sky darkened. It was just as I feared; time seemed to be moving even slower than I thought. The band wouldn't even be out for another 10 minutes. With Mariah chatting with other obsessed Blood fans, my eyes went to the starry sky. It was the only thing I was enjoying so far. It was beautiful now that those dreary clouds had finally scattered. The stars were scattered about, making patterns here and there. I began to play connect the dots, making a butterfly and a puppy.

My game was interrupted as squeals came from the girls in the audience. I was brought back to the world around me to find that the audience had about tripled from the amount that had been there when Mariah and I first arrived. People were already pushing and shoving to get a better view. I was ready to move at any second and get out of their way. I rather not fight for my spot.

The spot lights lit up, illuminating the stage, there were more excited yells from the crowd. I plugged my ears as the volume increased and this was before the band was even out. I was dreading my time here even more. Then there was a mist of smoke and four dark forms emerged. The lights then came upon them and the crowd was silent. Maybe they were just like me, completely awestruck.

I couldn't believe how beautiful these musicians were. Each one was like a Greek god, a living, breathing Adonis. They were all tall and slender, though some were a bit bulkier than others but it was obvious this was due to muscle, not fat. They were all better suited to be models rather than rock stars. I don't even think they needed the air brush, they were pretty much flawless. Now I understood why Mariah talked about them so passionately, they were absolutely gorgeous.

The keyboardist was a blonde and his golden hair seemed to shine. His hair made Mariah's look pathetic and depressing. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were from this distance even though I tried as hard as I could to know.

The bass guitarist's hair was a deep green but it seemed to go quite well with him. If anything, it flattered him. It was spiked up in all directions, quite a difference from the keyboardist's neat hair. He had a wild smirk on his face to match is wild hair.

The drummer had a sturdier build, obviously one of the more muscular of the group but he still held that slender figure some how. His hair was pitch black and cut a bit short. There was a slight spike to it but nothing like the bass guitarist's hair.

They were all attractive, that much I was sure of. It didn't even matter to me at this moment whether they could play music well or not, their beauty was enough for me. Then my mouth must have been wide open because I felt my throat go dry. In the front was the lead singer and guitarist and he must have been the most beautiful creature I ever laid eyes on. His hair was a deep red mixed with a soft brown and it was set about his face in arraying lengths. I could stare at those golden emerald eyes all night. They were like priceless gems, the only eye color I could recognize out of all the band members. His complexion was pale like all of his fellow members but the color matched him perfectly. I was pretty sure he was tall, much taller than me with a grace I could only dream of. Finally, an angel had graced me with his presence.

Then, was I dreaming or was he staring at me?

There was the hum of bass guitar, and then the drums joined in. I was soon brought back from my staring to realize my mouth was agape. I quickly closed it, the blood rushing to my cheeks. I felt embarrassed; hopefully Mariah never saw what I did. She'd never let me hear the end of it. Then, like a rush, all the music came together. The keyboardist moved his long figures swiftly and gracefully across the keys. The bass guitarist looked excited, grinning ear to ear. The drummer was right on beat; I thought I noticed a smile on his face. The only one that remained solemn was the lead singer. His fingers moved with grace, if that was possible, on the strings of the guitar and yet nothing came out of his lips. For some reason, I wanted to hear his voice so badly. I felt like that was the only thing I came here for, to hear him, to know everything was perfect about this angel.

Then he began to sing, his voice at first almost an inaudible whisper. I strained my ears to hear. I wanted to hear him so badly. I never wanted anything so much before. It was a weird feeling but oddly enough, I liked it. The majority of the crowd started yelling with enthusiasm. I wanted them all to shut up because now it was even harder to hear him. Luckily, his volume began to increase until his voice mystified me almost as much as his lovely face. His voice was just as I was hoping it would be. It was the voice of an angel. Right now, I could die happy.

Mariah shook my shoulders, snapping me out of my mesmerized daze. "They're awesome right?!" she squealed. "I love James. He's the reason I dyed my hair blonde. Too bad it doesn't look as great as his." She sighed with admiration, her eyes going to the keyboardist. I barely paid attention to what she was saying; my eyes were back on the beautiful young man in the front. "What's _his_ name?" I asked my eyes still on the lovely singer. Mariah blinked, trying to see who I was staring at. "Oh," a smile crept on to her face, I barely glanced at it. "That's Daemon. He's pretty much what you would call the leader of the band."

"Daemon…" I mouthed it quietly to myself. It was a unique name but it suited him. My focus was back on him in an instant. I felt that at any minute he would vanish and I would never see his beautiful face again. The thought pained me. I wanted to see him and hear him. My feelings about this concert did a complete 360. I didn't want it to end. I wanted it to last forever so I could always hear and see him.

Disappointment found its way onto my face when the concert seemed to come to an end. I longed for Daemon to sing again but it seemed my forever was going to be only a few minutes per song. In a way, I felt kind of silly, becoming so absorbed by someone I had never even heard of till now. Although now I wished I remembered every word Mariah had said about him and more.

"Now then," Daemon's voice echoed around the area. The audience grew silent. I was watching him intently, he sounded just as beautiful speaking as singing. "On each of your tickets there is a number." I didn't know where he was going with this but everyone pulled out their tickets. I slowly pulled mine from my pocket. I really wanted to hear him sing again but his voice alone like this would do. Without explaining himself, he began calling out numbers, "Two, three, five, and seven." There were complaints from people in the crowd as they realized it wasn't their number. I didn't even bother to look at my ticket; I just wanted Daemon to sing again.

"Aww, my number was so close." I heard Mariah whine as she placed her ticket back in her pocket. Daemon repeated the number seeing as no one was saying it was theirs. "I repeat. Two, three, five, and seven. If this is your number, please head back stage." I looked around, waiting for some excited squealing girl to announce she had won but there was nothing but mummers of, "It's not me." I doubted it was my ticket. I just didn't have that kind of luck. My kind of luck was the trip and fall flat on my face luck, the bad kind of luck. Still, I looked at the numbers on my ticket. I almost passed out. There on my ticket, was the numbers, two, three, five, and seven.

Mariah quickly noticed the numbers on my ticket and started screaming excitedly. "She's got it! She's got it! The winning ticket! Two, three, five, seven!" I was in a complete daze over the fact that I had won but what did I win?

Heads turned in our direction, all of them wishing they had the ticket in my hand. Mariah was grinning from ear to ear as she dragged me back stage. I could hear the echo of Daemon's "Congratulations." My head was spinning with doubt. Did I really win? Maybe I heard incorrectly, maybe it's not the right number…

There was a big, burly security guard at the entrance to the back stage. Mariah stated quiet loudly, "She has the winning ticket! She won!" I bobbled my head up and down. Mariah grabbed my wrist and showed the guard the ticket in my hand. He nodded and allowed us to pass.

Back stage, things were in a rush. People were going back and forth doing I had no idea what. None of them acknowledged us at all. They were all too busy to notice the two girls that were completely out of place here. Mariah was frustrated, looking around for someone to come and give me some kind of prize. I was too busy looking at what other people were doing to really care about what I would receive. There were racks of clothes, guitars and other musical instruments. I wasn't surprised not to see any make up artists or the like. The members of Blood could have come out on stage dressed in rags and still look gorgeous. They didn't need anything to improve their already perfect appearance.

"Hello. You must be our lucky winner." I blinked, quickly recognizing the voice. I turned my head to see Daemon standing before me, even more beautiful up close. I could see the pallor of his skin against his emerald eyes. I could see the striking golden color within the deep green gems of his eyes. There was not a mark on his beautiful face and I felt the strong feeling to touch it and see if it was real. I wanted to know he was real and not some figment of my imagination. I doubted he was. There was no way my mind could produce something so perfect.

I nodded my head, my throat was going dry again but even if it wasn't, I doubted I could find the words to say to him. I hadn't even realized that right behind him stood the other three members of the band. My main focus was on Daemon. He was the one who mattered.

Mariah, on the other hand, was jumping up and down excitedly. I thought gravity would lose a hold of her and she would shoot off into the sky. "I'm M-Mariah and this is Elle." Her voice was a higher pitch than usual; it must have been because she was so excited. "Elena." I corrected automatically, finding my voice somehow. It must have been the fear that Daemon wouldn't know my real name and would call me Elle. I wanted to hear my name come out of his lips, not my incorrect nickname.

"Nice to meet ya. Name's Michael." That wasn't Daemon; it was one of the other members behind him. The green haired bass guitarist seemed to appear out of nowhere to my eye. Really, he had been there the whole time, I just never noticed him. His hair was even wilder in person but it didn't affect his beauty. Michael was still handsome like the rest of them and now I could see the color of his eyes. They were a deep, red violet an odd color to match his odd hair. Still, it complemented him quite well. To me, he seemed to be the youngest of the four. Maybe it was his odd appearance or the great big grin on his face.

Daemon's eyes rested on me. It had just occurred to me that he was staring at me. I quickly grew self conscious, something I never was. I wondered if there was something in my hair, or a piece of food in my teeth, maybe a mark on my face. I could feel my face growing hot, I wondered if he noticed. "Hello, Mariah and … Elena." his velvet voice sent shivers down my spine. I loved the way my name sounded coming from his lips.

James, the keyboardist became visible. I glanced at Mariah, seeing her bite her lip. She was probably trying her hardest to contain her squealing. James was in complete contrast to Michael. His golden hair was neater and his eyes were a deep sapphire. My own blue eyes looked pitiful in comparison. Mariah probably felt horrible about her own blonde hair. It was nothing like the keyboardist's, only a cheap imitation. He said nothing, only stood there watching the two of us.

"Michael, you gonna hold still man?" A voice deeper than Daemon's and Michael's questioned. Michael stiffened, now looking like an odd statue with green hair. He was still grinning ear to ear as there came a deep chuckling from the larger figure. It was the drummer. He was the tallest of the four and he made me feel like a child for I didn't even reach close to his shoulder. His muscular form made the burly security guard outside look ridiculously unnecessary. "Hello ladies, I'm Gareth." His dark almost black eyes were smiling along with him.

I continued to nod my head, my throat was dry again. I could feel Daemon's eyes on me; it wasn't helping me at all. "Daemon! Tell em what they won!" Michael was moving again, now swaying side to side. His movements, simple as they were, were graceful and put ballerinas to shame. Daemon's eyes flickered to Michael and he froze, quickly quieting. What Mariah had told me before made sense now, Daemon was the leader, and it was quite obvious now.

"I bet they wanna know man. Don't keep them waiting." Gareth looked at us, his gaze much softer than Daemon's. I wasn't uncomfortable with him looking at us like I was with Daemon. He seemed like the pretty decent guy, the one who probably kept everything in check.

"Well then," There was a bit of irritation in Daemon's tone, it differed from how he greeted us. "The owner of the proper ticket receives the choice of spending the evening with one of the members of Blood." He sounded as if he had read this straight out of a rule book but his lovely voice made me pay strict attention.

"Who you gonna pick?" Michael questioned, looking at me with hopeful eyes. He reminded me of a puppy but in a teenager's body. Mariah looked at me curiously too, probably hoping I didn't pick James. She'd become green with envy if I did. The choice was obvious to me. I knew who I wanted but the problem was, could I say who I wanted? I looked at every face of the Blood members. James looked bored. Gareth was just smiling, I smiled slightly back. Michael was grinning ear to ear, swaying again. Daemon wasn't staring at me anymore. Instead, his eyes seemed to be anywhere but looking at me. His attitude wasn't helping me at all in speaking.

I tried to find my voice, and I opened my mouth to speak. I snapped it shut when I realized nothing would come out. Daemon's eyes were on me again. The blood was quickly rushing to my cheeks as my heart pounded against my chest. He seemed impatient and irritated as if this prize thing had completely ruined his mood. I avoided looking at him, my eyes looking for some sort of comfort. Mariah's face was full of anticipation, no comfort there. Then I found what I was looking for, Gareth's pale face held that gentle smile I was looking for. It gave me the courage to say what I wanted to say.

My mouth opened again and this time my voice came out. "D-Daemon." I stuttered a bit but I was happy, I managed to say it and now I would be spending the evening with Daemon. My eyes widened a bit as I came to that realization. I would be spending the evening with Daemon. Daemon, this beautiful angel, the one who obviously didn't care for this contest at all. I felt like I just signed my name on my will.

Michael was pouting but he got over it quickly, now being happy for Daemon. Gareth patted Daemon's shoulder, "You're the lucky one buddy." Daemon's own face was smug but he was still staring at me. I was suddenly wishing I had picked Gareth, at least he was smiling. James appeared to be the only one who didn't care as Mariah stared at him, probably wishing she had a camera.

"Let's go then." Daemon was already walking away after he said those words. I was frozen in my spot although I knew he was probably expecting me to follow him. "You should go." I blinked, realizing it was James that spoke. I hadn't heard his voice yet. Mariah looked ready to collapse. I nodded quickly, running after Daemon. I felt bad leaving Mariah behind but I had the feeling that if I took her away from the remaining members, she'd be furious with me.

I didn't realize how much farther ahead Daemon was. I didn't think I was standing still for that long. Even running, I was having a difficult time catching up with him. Actually, I didn't catch up to him till he stopped near the exit, probably waiting for me. Right when I made it to him, I lost my footing. I already knew what was coming, an embarrassing fall to my face. I was waiting for the impact but the force of the floor against my face never came. I blinked, realizing someone was holding on to me, their hands cold and hard against me. I was pulled up with ease and set on my feet. I felt like a cardboard stand that had just fallen over and someone was setting up straight.

My face turned crimson when I realized who had saved me from my klutzy self. Daemon stood right in front of me. I never even saw him move. I figured it must have been because my eyes became focused on the floor after I realized I was going to fall. "Are you all right?" the concern in his velvet voice seemed unreal. I couldn't believe it was real, not when he acted as if he didn't want to be here in the first place. Besides, with his looks, he was probably dating the prettiest of models and spending evenings with them, not a plain Jane like me.

I nodded my head; I was doing that a lot today. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." I took a deep breath, trying to recompose myself. Regardless of how he felt about it, he had saved me and that sent my heart racing. I wanted it to stop thudding, thinking it was so loud Daemon could hear it, but he showed no sign of anything, and only kept walking. I walked after him, this time not rushing, thinking I would make a fool of myself again, something I did not want to do in front of him again.

It was dark and the cool breeze blew against my face. I could feel the temperature dropping in my crimson cheeks; I was starting to calm down. When I caught up with him, I realized he was now wearing a baseball cap and glasses. The new accessories must have been part of some disguise. Still, despite what he was wearing, he was still beautiful. He was staring at me again and I was staring back. I quickly looked away, feeling the color returning to my cheeks and I had just calmed down.

We had come to a black car, a really nice, expensive black car. I could tell it was expensive because no Mercedes was cheap. Besides that, I didn't know that much about cars. I stared at the car because if I didn't, I'd end up looking at him again then I might realize he was staring at me. I was pretty sure he still was as my hair stood on end. The silence between us was broken as he spoke two, simple, indifferent words, "Get in."

I nodded, yet again, and got in the passenger's side. The grayish leather was soft and comfortable. The interior of the car looked just as expensive as the outside. Daemon didn't say a word as he got in. He placed the keys in the ignition and the engine purred to life. The radio was off and he made no effort to turn it on. If this was like kidnapping, then I didn't mind it. I was with an angel, an indifferent angel, but an angel nonetheless. I was going to spend the evening with him. The entire idea made me crimson again.

"Where to?" I turned my head; he was staring at me again. I stared at the dash board, "I… I don't know." Truthfully, I hadn't even realized that I was in charge of this. I was the winner. I was the one who decided where we went, problem was, I had no clue what to do. He looked irritated, maybe even angry. "I-I'm sorry." I stuttered a bit. If I could have backed away, I would but there was no where to back away to in this car. I only waited silently, wondering if he would kick me out and just forget the contest.

A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned back in his seat. He pressed his fingers to his temples and rubbed them. "I… should go. I'm sorry." As I said this, I was going to open the door and run out. Well, at least that was my plan but apparently, I didn't think it through well enough. The car door was locked. "Um… Could you…" The soft roar of the engine cut me off as the car went forward. "Where are…" I quickly shut my mouth as he turned to look at me. His golden emerald eyes made my throat go dry. I looked away, staring at the dash board again. He was obviously better at these staring contests.

Silence, there was absolute silence in the car. Neither of us exchanged a word. I was afraid to speak thinking I'd find him staring at me again. Instead, I stared out the window, not wanting to look anywhere close in his direction. I felt like he was looking at me but I wasn't going to turn around and check. He shouldn't have been looking at me anyway, his eyes were supposed to be on the road. The car came to a stop, I barely noticed due to how smooth the ride was and how much smoother the actual stop was. Daemon was out of the car before I knew it and opening my door before any thought of him leaving me could enter my head.

"Err…thanks." I was a bit confused. Why was he showing manners all of the sudden? I got out of the car and he shut the car door after me. We were in the parking lot of a local restaurant by the looks of it. Nothing fancy, I was relieved. Fancy places made me uncomfortable and being dressed the way I was probably wouldn't have helped either. Regardless of where we went though, I knew I was going to feel uncomfortable and the main reason was already making his way to the entrance. When he passed me up, I wasn't sure of, but he was holding the door for me to go in when I got there.

The restaurant itself had a nice atmosphere, warm and homey. I risked a glance at my handsome escort. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at me but around the restaurant, probably looking for a seat. His face was flawless, bits of his reddish brown hair suck out of the ends of the baseball cap. I looked away before I thought he noticed me looking at him. Of course I wasn't the only one who had been looking at him. Several girls in the restaurant had their eyes on him despite his "disguise". I could understand why, even with the baseball cap and glasses, he was still good looking. I was betting that each one of those women probably hated me right now. I wanted to crawl into a corner and hide. I doubted Daemon would mind.

In a matter of seconds, a pretty waitress was in front of us or Daemon to be more precise. She completely ignored the fact that I was there. "Right this way." She smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes while directing Daemon to our table. I followed quietly, watching the expression on Daemon's face wondering if he was impressed at all by this waitress. At the moment, he had the similar expression James had, of boredom. I wondered if that meant he didn't care for the waitress or he didn't care for being here, it was probably both.

We were seated in a booth with blue upholstery. The table was nailed to the floor. The waitress handed us menus, while smiling at Daemon, still batting those eye lashes of hers. My hands were shaking as I held onto the menu. It had just occurred to me that I was really nervous and now that I knew, my nervousness practically tripled. I bit my lip trying to control my shaking. Daemon stared at me, completely ignoring the smiling waitress, with one eye brow raised. I bit my lip harder, feeling the blood rushing to my cheeks again. I wished he hadn't looked at me at this particular moment.

"Two cokes." Daemon's velvet voice told the waitress, she nodded and left reluctantly, looking at Daemon's face the entire time. I was satisfied with his choice. Truthfully, I didn't care what he picked; I was surprised he had ordered for me. He must have been frustrated with me for taking so long. I looked down at the fake wood patterns on the table, my face going red with embarrassment. I bit harder on my lip and I felt a sting. It was bleeding.

I could taste the odd flavor in my mouth and my expression twisted with the bitterness. "Ow…" I muttered softly. My eyes moved up a bit to notice Daemon's nails digging right into the table. He seemed to be clutching the table with all his might. His odd behavior made me forget all about my bleeding lip and wonder why he was acting so strangely. Did he not want to be here this much? Did he hate me or something? I was becoming fearful now and blamed everything on myself. Who else could I blame it on? Him? No, he was just too perfect to have done something wrong.

Then Daemon was still, pretty much an eloquent statue in the booth. Our glasses filled with soda were placed on the table, the pretty waitress had returned. "So what can I get for you?" She was addressing Daemon, ignoring me completely. Daemon was silent; it seemed he was continuing his act of being a statue. The waitress glanced in my direction. There was a disgusted look on her face. There must have been blood running from my lip. I grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped my lip, realizing I had no idea what to order. I was too nervous thinking about the handsome man before me to realize there were particular things you carried out at a restaurant.

I was hoping Daemon would order for me again but he said nothing. The waitress looked back at Daemon, enjoying his face probably. "Um… I'll have a cheese burger…" I said softly. The waitress gave me a look of irritation but she nodded and scribbled down the order. "I'm fine." Daemon's lovely voice stated. He seemed to be back to normal now or at least what I thought was normal. The waitress batted her eyelashes once more and left.

I sipped my coke, finding a reason not to speak. Daemon's eyes were right on me again and I stared hard at the fake wood patterns of the table. My cheeks were growing hot and I wished with all my might that they would cool down. "Elena?" I looked up quickly, his velvet voice sending shivers down my spine. I removed my lips from the straw and sat up straight, "Yes?" I avoided eye contact for the sake of my already red cheeks. "There's a blood stain on your shirt." His voice responded calmly, almost in laughing, mocking manner.

If it was possible, I turned even redder than I already was. "Silly me," I answered with a fake laugh, "I'll try to wash it off." I rushed to the bathroom so he wouldn't seem how crimson my face was. In the bathroom, I looked at myself in front of the mirror above the sink. Daemon was right, there, on my blue shirt was a red mark of blood about the size of a dime. I grabbed a paper towel, turned on the faucet and went to work on removing the stain.

As I figured, the stain didn't come out very well. The color was a bit lighter but it was still obviously there. I threw away the paper towels, feeling a bit frustrated and left the bathroom. Daemon was still there at the booth, a gorgeous statue once more. His eyes never left me as I sat back down in the booth. "It didn't come out too well…" I said quietly, feeling embarrassed. Daemon was silent and only stared at me.

I wanted to back away into a corner or turn invisible. This night was going horribly, this was not the birthday I had in mind. In front of me rested my cheese burger. If must have been there for several minutes before I realized it was there because when I touched it, it was a bit cold. I ate it without a word, welcoming the distraction. I didn't think about anything but eating for the fear I would turn red again due to my own thoughts.

The bill was paid before I knew it and I felt horrible having Daemon pay for me but I was still eating and if I took my mind off of the burger, it would travel to my idiocy in front of him. Once I was done, it was just as I thought it would be, Daemon stood up and was waiting at the door a few seconds later. I blinked, I didn't even notice him make his way to the door. The waitress seemed sad to see Daemon go and he offered her no smile of reassurance as I went out the door he held open for me. Secretly, I smiled to myself.

It was cooler outside now, I shivered as the night breeze blew on me. I zipped up my jacket and hugged myself to keep warm. Daemon seemed completely oblivious to the cold. His expression surprised me, he looked irritated, angry. I grew scared, thinking I did something wrong, something to make him mad. I didn't know what I did but I had to have done something. He couldn't have been angry for no reason.

The wind picked up and with it, went Daemon's hand. "I'll get it." I said quickly, hoping to make up for whatever I did that made him angry. I ran after the baseball cap, waiting for it to sink to a level where I could get it. I hoped I wouldn't fall as I chased the cap but I knew hoping wouldn't do much of anything. Then, right as I reached for it, the blur of a hand grasped the cap. I blinked, a bit stunned, who grabbed the hat?

My question was soon answered. Standing before me was a man in a white collared shirt, half way buttoned. His face was handsome, although not as handsome as Daemon's. He smiled at me with his dark… crimson eyes. I could feel my heart racing and my head was starting to swim as sharp canines glinted in the moonlight from his wicked smile. "Your blood… smells lovely tonight."

I was terrified. My entire body shook with fright, I never felt so scared in my entire life. Every bit of thought and common sense was kicked out of my body and replaced with fear. My first instinct, to run and scream and I would have if my feet weren't frozen to the sidewalk and my throat was dry. "Are you scared?" The man continued to smile with those horrible teeth and his cold hand caressed my check. I trembled at his touch but the feeling of it felt oddly familiar. I remembered those cold, hard hands that held on to me back at the concert, the ones that saved me. His face went closer to my neck, his lips only inches away from my skin. My eyes widened with fear and I struggled. I struggled as hard as I could to get away from him but his grip was too strong, way too strong. I didn't budge him. I opened my mouth in a desperate attempt to scream but nothing came out. I was terrified of the fact that I was going to die.

An invisible force sent the strange man flying, till his heels dug into the pavement to catch himself. He seemed stunned by the impact and looked around for the cause. I was still too scared to move or think I felt utterly helpless but at the same time eternally grateful for that blow. "What the hell?" the man hissed, his eyes narrowing with irritation. The man's eyes widened, he was sent flying again, this time the blow hit him from his back side, sending him flying forward. The strength behind these blows was incredible and now blood dripped from the man's mouth. I was shocked he was still alive and I wanted him gone badly to rid myself of this horrible fear.

"Disgusting." I saw the familiar reddish brown hair and that velvet tone soothed me. My common sense was starting to surface and it told me this couldn't be happening. There was no way a man could have fangs protruding from him mouth, ready to bite my neck like some horror movie. It just wasn't possible. Vampires don't exist. I glanced at the handsome face of Daemon, despite how angry he looked, he was still beautiful. There was no such thing as Vampires…

The man smiled, it was an awkward, disgusting smile with his teeth and the blood. I shivered, looking at Daemon's face for comfort. "Her blood smells lovely. Don't you agree?" Was he talking to Daemon? Why would he say such a thing to Daemon? I looked at Daemon fearfully to notice he had vanished. This time the blow hit the man hard in the face, cracking sounds resulted. The noise itself sounded horrible, I could scarcely imagine the damage it had caused. Still, the man did not falter. His face was bloody now and it caused me to shake all over. Where was Daemon? Where had he…

My mouth was wide open as Daemon's form appeared out of nowhere, his fist piercing through the man's chest like a knife, clean out to the other side. Blood splattered all over the concrete, the walls, and on Daemon. The man's eyes became wide with death and he collapsed to the cold concrete. His body soon exploded into flames and became nothing but ashes.

I was stunned but the word itself didn't seem to fit the situation. I didn't know what to believe now. The fact that a man just tried to drink my blood or the fact that Daemon's hand went clean through the guy like a knife does through butter. Vampires aren't real. Daemon cleaned his arm of the man's blood. There was no such thing as vampires. His beautiful face had specks of blood on it as he turned to look at me. Vampires were and are not real.

I pinched myself and realized this wasn't a dream. But vampires aren't real, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry about the long wait but here it is, chapter two! Hope you all like it and will continue to read and review it.

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My head was spinning. I felt like I was going to puke. I was shaking and my knees wobbled as they tried to support my body. My consciousness was slipping away and finally I gave way to it. My body fell and with it, my mind into darkness. The last thing I felt was something cold and hard, it wasn't concrete.

When I awoke, cold sweat covered my body. I shivered in my covers… Wait, covers? I looked around, startled. I was in bed, in my room, at home. There were no dark ashes of a vampire and there was no beautiful musician covered in blood. Just the white walls of my room and the morning sun shining through my window. Was it all a dream? No, it felt too real to be a dream but here I was, in bed. Everything pointed to it being a dream but that just didn't seem right. I removed my covers, I was in my pajamas, another point for it all being just a dream.

I scrambled out of bed looking for my clothes of the previous day. I found my blue shirt and began searching it for that red stain of blood. I was shocked, the stain was gone. Yet another point for this being all a dream and yet I couldn't bring myself to accept it. All that I felt, all that I saw… it couldn't have been just a dream.

There was one way to settle this. I searched my room for my new cell phone, my birthday present from my mother. I found it resting on my dresser and I quickly turned it on. After its little greeting, I dialed Mariah's number. She could tell me if this was all a dream or something more.

"Hello?" That wasn't Mariah.

"Is Mariah there?" I asked, my hands were shaking. I gripped the cell phone tightly to make them stop. I wanted my worries to end already.

"Yes, I'll give her the phone." The voice sounded sweet, it must have been Mariah's mother.

"Hello?!" Mariah's peppy voice greeted a few minutes later.

"Mariah, do you know how I got home?" the words rushed out of my mouth. I wanted to know that all I saw wasn't a dream and that I wasn't crazy.

"Of course silly, I drove you home. We had a nice little birthday dinner at that café I like and then I took you home."

Café? There had been no café. We went to a concert, a concert Mariah had been dying to see for months. How could she forget about that? "What about the concert Mariah?"

"What concert?" Mariah sounded confused. "We didn't go to a concert Elle. Are you okay?"

I was alarmed now. Was all that I had experienced some crazy nightmare? The memory of Daemon's face covered with blood appeared in my mind. It sent shivers down my spine. No, that had been way too real to be a dream. My imagination wasn't good enough to come up with something so realistic.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had a good time at the café Mariah. Talk to you later." I lied and hung up before she could say anything else.

This couldn't be happening. There was no way it was all a dream. It was just too real, way too real. How could Mariah not remember? I glanced at my now stain free shirt. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe he never really existed. I sighed, plopping myself down on my bed. I looked up the ceiling. I didn't know what to think now. Was it a dream? Some kind of fantasy that I had thought up to replace a boring evening at the café? I sighed again and turned on my side. Daemon's face was fresh in my mind. I found it so hard to consider him just a dream. I wanted him to be real.

There was a knock on my door. I sat up quickly, "Yeah?" My mother opened the door. Her graying copper hair was a mess tied into a sloppy bun. "Good morning." She greeted, she seemed more cheerful than usual. I raised a brow. My mother couldn't hold it in any longer, she raced into my room and jumped on to my bed, her face flustered. "Guess what?! Will asked me out!" she squealed. I guess one could say she was like a teenager all over again.

Will was the guy my mother had been talking about for weeks. She was just waiting for him to ask her out. I think this was the fifth guy this month she had been crazy about. "That's great mom." I replied with fake enthusiasm. I had much more important things on my mind than my mother having a new date. All the events of last night kept rushing through my brain, my head was aching.

"We're going out tonight! Do you have something planned today? I'd hate to leave you here all alone." My mother spoke with mixed excitement and concern.

I smiled lightly, "Don't worry about me mom. You just have fun with Will tonight. I've got some rented movies to watch." My mother smiled back and hugged me tightly. "I love you Elena." she squealed and released me. "Love you too mom." I smiled, Damien still on my mind.

After that, both of us headed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. It was quiet in the kitchen despite my mother humming happily to herself. She was really excited about her date with Will. I ate my cereal quietly, not wanting to disturb her daydreams. "Oh! I forgot! This came in the mail for you!" I blinked, my mother's exited voice disturbed my thoughts.

I stared blankly at the envelope she had placed on the table. It was a simple white envelope with no addresses on it, only my name in elegant handwriting. My mother showed no concern for the letter and was humming to herself as she walked or skipped about. I placed it to the side and decided to open it in my room once I finished my cereal. If I showed much concern about the letter in front of my mother, then she might become as worried as I was about it.

After cleaning my bowl in the sink, I headed up the stairs to my room, leaving my mom to her cheerful mood. As soon as I was in my room, I closed and locked the door behind me, then plopped myself on my bed. I stared at the front of the envelope, looking at "Elena Sharp" in the elegant font. I was hoping I had missed something, that somewhere on this envelope was the returning address but as I looked it over, it was nowhere in sight. Whoever this was must have placed the letter in the mailbox in person, meaning they knew where I lived. The thought of some stranger knowing where I lived sent shivers down my spine.

I wondered if I should open the letter. There wasn't any harm in opening it right? The thought of anthrax quickly answered that question, only adding to my fears and worries. I could just throw the letter away and forget all about it but the more I thought about that option, the more my curiosity encouraged me to open the envelope. I took in a deep breath, I was risking anthrax for this, and opened the envelope. What I found inside were no dangerous spores but a simple white paper. I relaxed, realizing how silly that anthrax fear had been. Now my true worries were out in the open. What did this letter say and most importantly, who was it from?

Well, there was one to find out. Slowly, I removed the paper from the envelope and unfolded it. My eyes went wide as I read it and my heart seemed to stop. My head was swimming with disbelief.

Elena Sharp,

Meet me at the Everland Park after sunset.

Sincerely,

Daemon Night

Nothing held my attention more than the last two words on the letter, "Daemon Night". His name ended all my worries over last night being nothing more than a dream. I knew he existed. I knew my mind couldn't produce something so perfect and now I had the proof to prove last night had happened. I held the letter close to me with the thought that Daemon had wrote it with his own hand, for me. When I realized what I was doing, I felt my face grow hot and I quickly placed the letter on the bed, my eyes still resting on it.

Why did Daemon want to meet with me? Was there something he wanted to discuss? Well of course there had to be something he wanted to discuss after the happenings of last night, after all, there was a ton of things I wanted to ask him. The picture of Daemon's hand going clean through the man's torso flashed in my mind. I shuddered. What if Daemon wanted to do that to me? Maybe he wanted to meet with me to kill me, not to talk to me and answer my silly questions. Still, I couldn't fully believe Daemon wanting to kill me mostly because I didn't want Daemon to want to kill me. It just wasn't a fact I could accept easily. I mean, if Daemon wanted me dead, then he should have let that…man kill me, instead of saving me. I was almost certain Daemon wanted to talk about the happenings of last night, mostly for the fact that wasn't going to consider my other thought any longer.

Placing the letter back in the envelope and into a drawer in my dresser, I went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After a hot shower, I placed my wet hair in a clip and got dressed. Since I didn't plan on going anywhere, at least not till sunset, I pulled on a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of shorts then headed downstairs. I found my mom struggling over what to wear on her date with Will. Her date with Will was several hours away but it usually took my mother several hours to figure out what to wear. She'd pick something out, ask my opinion about it, although my opinion doesn't really matter as I have no sense in fashion, or at least, that's what she says. Then she'd change her mind about it and the whole process would begin all over again. It was more tiring for me than for her as I usually had to sit through the whole thing.

So far, about half of her closet was piled on the couch and she was holding a blue, roses printed dress against her, while looking at me with a smile. "What do you think of this one?" she asked, as if my opinion really mattered in the end.

"I think it's really nice, mom." I replied, returning my mother's smile. She frowned, glancing at the dress and probably picturing Will's reaction. Her thought of his reaction was written all over her face as she placed the dress back in the closet. I glanced at the pile on the couch and sighed as I sat down in a chair. This was going to be a long day.


End file.
